Thursday, January 22, 2015

A Day in the Life of our Homeschool/Part 2


Time for reading. Today Everett finished Little Bear and did the word study and few a comprehension questions. 
 Cutting and pasting practice for Hampton.
 Everett working on copybook and memory work. This week's verse is Genesis 3:8.
 Reading a few pages from Peter Pan.
 Hampton working on his-Does it Belong? book. He finished it today.
 And Thatcher Reid just being his cute self.
 We usually do cursive after lunch, but we had some extra time today so Ev completed earlier.
 Eleanor "playing" Candy Land.
 Everett and Hampton playing our new favorite game-Rush Hour Junior.
 After lunch Eleanor and Thatcher take a nap. We then did our Bible time. After Bible we work on Literature and Enrichment. This week's book is The Moon Shines Down by Margaret Wise Brown. During the reading I ask comprehension questions. Today for science we learned about the phases of the moon and made moon sand. This was definitely an outdoor activity as it was very messy. Thank goodness it had warmed up. 
 And we always conclude our school day by watching something somewhat informative or educational. Today it was Magic School Bus.
 Our moon sand!
 And our schoolroom.......


A Day in the Life of our Homeschool/Part 1

A few months ago I began homeschooling Everett (and Hampton after Christmas). There are many reasons why, however the most important being that God laid it on my heart and we felt led to do so. It has been a wonderful experience so far, Everett is thriving, and it has clearly been the right decision for our family. So, just for fun, I decided to document a day in the life of our homeschool. This was a typical Tuesday:
We begin with seat work. This may be a coloring page, spelling puzzle, dot to dot. Today's was a color by number.
 Hampton working on his fine motor skills with lacing buttons.
 And Eleanor and Thatcher Reid playing with their Calico Critters.
 Everett then does his daily learning notebook where he writes out the date, weather, counts money, marks off his calendar. 
 Thatcher working on his fine motor with Connect 4.
 Phonics-today we learned about the hard and soft c sound. 
 Eleanor "learning" the alphabet. 
 Everett taking a spelling test. He got them all right!
 And then Elsa showed up.
 Math time. Today was-math facts, counting pennies and nickels, working with telling time, and before and after numbers.
 Hampton working on his alphabet book.
 Play dough time for Eleanor. I mean Elsa!
 Math Hot Dots and a snack.
 Hampton working on his numbers and counting book.


A Few More From Christmas

Here are a few more from our Christmas-

The stockings were a hit. A few things from the dollar section at Target and they were very pleased. 



 Fairy wings and some play necklaces. 

 And her big gift (which I scored for half off!)-seven Disney princesses. 
 Some new peg puzzles, blocks, a doodler for Thatcher.
And the big boys got new Legos. We had such a great Christmas!

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Mommy's Day Off

I was given the wonderful opportunity the other day to spend the night at my friend Kate's house and then hang out at her home the following day. I needed respite and a day of relaxation. It was planned weeks in advance and I was so looking forward to it. My days are so busy and so a day of quiet was just what I needed. I slept in until 8:30 (gasp!) and had such a deep sleep that I did not even know what time it was. Kate had already gone to work. I decided to watch some television, then took a shower and got dressed. I then went down the road to West End Bakery for brunch. I had a latte and probably the best bacon egg and cheese biscuit ever. I did not bring my book to read in the cafe, however it was not needed as West Ashevillians bring enough entertainment. After brunch I went back to Kate's house, where I got back into my pajamas and read. I set a reading goal this year to read at least one book a week and so I finished one book and got halfway into another. It is amazing how much reading can be accomplished with absolutely no interruptions! I then watched some more television, read, ate a scone, and so on. Before I knew it, 5:00 came. The day completely flew by. I packed my things and headed back home to my family. They were very happy to see me and even though I was not even gone 24 hours, I missed them. A day of complete rest is necessary every now and then, but I miss my people when I am gone. I know feel re-energized, rejuvenated, and little a better mommy and wife.